The board bashing of Coach

[CNY in Miami]

As a kid, I played all kinds of sports: baseball, basketball, football, golf, and even shot a lot of pool. By my junior year in high school, I had pretty much quit playing team sports—too slow for baseball, didn’t enjoy getting hit in football, and, honestly, I wasn’t very good at basketball. However, I did become a decent golfer. In my mid-20s, up until my daughter was born in my late 30s, I carried a single-digit handicap, which put me ahead of most golfers. Even though I stopped playing team sports, I’ve always enjoyed watching them, especially Syracuse basketball and football.
Now in my early 70s, after decades of watching sports, I’ve come to realize that; I don't know anything about coaching and teams with a mix of good players and one or two great players tend to win a lot of games—even if the coach isn’t the best.
Coach Autry inherited the SU program without many good players and no great players. Winning 20 games last year with that roster was, in my opinion, a testament to pretty good coaching. Last year started much like this one, but the team improved over the season and became respectable by the end.

I doubt Carmelo would want his son playing for a lousy coach. he may know a little more about basketball than most of us on this board, If he didn’t believe Red could make his son a better player and build a championship-caliber team, his son wouldn’t have signed with SU. Next year’s recruiting class is top ten in the nation, so let’s stop bashing the coach.
Every great program has its ups and downs. UCLA, Kentucky, Indiana, and North Carolina have all had stretches of mediocrity, and now it’s Syracuse’s turn. Building a winning team takes time, and it’s not always a smooth process. Coach Autry sat next to one of the top five college coaches for years. He’s passionate about SU, he’s a good man, and will be successful.

Chill out and enjoy the journey.

 

[grepal]

As a kid, I played all kinds of sports: baseball, basketball, football, golf, and even shot a lot of pool. By my junior year in high school, I had pretty much quit playing team sports—too slow for baseball, didn’t enjoy getting hit in football, and, honestly, I wasn’t very good at basketball. However, I did become a decent golfer. In my mid-20s, up until my daughter was born in my late 30s, I carried a single-digit handicap, which put me ahead of most golfers. Even though I stopped playing team sports, I’ve always enjoyed watching them, especially Syracuse basketball and football.
Now in my early 70s, after decades of watching sports, I’ve come to realize that; I don't know anything about coaching and teams with a mix of good players and one or two great players tend to win a lot of games—even if the coach isn’t the best.
Coach Autry inherited the SU program without many good players and no great players. Winning 20 games last year with that roster was, in my opinion, a testament to pretty good coaching. Last year started much like this one, but the team improved over the season and became respectable by the end.

I doubt Carmelo would want his son playing for a lousy coach. he may know a little more about basketball than most of us on this board, If he didn’t believe Red could make his son a better player and build a championship-caliber team, his son wouldn’t have signed with SU. Next year’s recruiting class is top ten in the nation, so let’s stop bashing the coach.
Every great program has its ups and downs. UCLA, Kentucky, Indiana, and North Carolina have all had stretches of mediocrity, and now it’s Syracuse’s turn. Building a winning team takes time, and it’s not always a smooth process. Coach Autry sat next to one of the top five college coaches for years. He’s passionate about SU, he’s a good man, and will be successful.

Chill out and enjoy the journey.

The board bashing of coach is uncalled for. Same with denigrating our players. If you are so unhappy cheer for UCONN or ssomething.

 

[Ottoman]

I appreciate the sentiment - bashing of anyone associated with the program is ridiculous. They are all working very hard to try and succeed.

Disagreements on strategy, however, is a different matter. Any time a program with our pedigree puts a defense on the floor like we did the last few weeks will take some well-deserved heat. There are certain expectations for play at this level, and one is a competent defense against lower-level competition. Orange standard, right?

While I agree that Red did have some success last year and that this season is young, there are some red flags worth mentioning.

That being said, I love that Red seems to understand where he is not strong. He hired a GM with analytics and player analysis skills. He hired an assistant with some success coaching defense. Right now, those are areas where we are struggling mightily. We recruited several players that are not a good fit at this level and our defense has been very sloppy.